Be it through influencers, customers or celebrities, there has been a rise of user-generated content on social media. This kind of content takes many forms and typically includes an opinion from the user-side. It ranges from blog comments to Facebook comments or posts and also includes reviews, user-generated videos and blog posts, and forums and podcasts. Brands often use UGC as part of social media content marketing and other marketing channels to boost engagement. As content comes from users themselves, there are fewer restrictions on tone, and can include a wider range of content.
User generated content is useful because in general, marketers and advertisers are seen as untrustworthy. It is common knowledge that brands manipulate their products during positioning. Consequently, user generated content is a good way to establish trust between your business and its consumers. In fact, a survey found that 76% of consumers think business ads are “very exaggerated” or “somewhat exaggerated”. In that same survey, one in five respondents even said they “refuse to make a decision” about a product based on only its advertising.
Usually, a large part of users tend to congregate on social media. Thus, any good social media marketing strategy should make sure to include user generated content as part of its content marketing strategies.
In this article, Team Luxeveda outline some useful guidelines for social media content marketing that leverages user generated content. We believe that it can make or break any content marketing strategy.
Make Your Brand Desirable
It is natural for human beings to want to emulate what their friends and family are doing. This is especially true of people wanting to emulate celebrity lifestyles, which is why influencer marketing is so useful. To leverage this, sharing user generated content is a great way to create brand desire. For example, tourism and lifestyle brands can use social media content marketing to showcase destinations through a visitor’s lens. This will create more authenticity in learning about an experience online.
Notably, Destination British Columbia uses user generated content on their Instagram account to showcase beautiful scenes that feel accessible to the everyday traveler. It makes people want to visit, because the photos have been taken by “regular travelers” like them. The content they share gets thousands of likes, and inspires new users to visit the area. This also provides amateur photographers with a platform to showcase their work, providing users with added incentive to share content.
Create a Culture of Trust and Reciprocity
One of the most important reasons to regularly use user generated content is to create trust around your business. At the end of the day, earning new customers means earning user trust, and this is at the foundation of any social media marketing strategy.
While obvious, your business should never forget that consumers tend to trust other consumers. If you have managed to build a tribe around your brand, you should use them to attract new consumers, who in turn will make your tribe bigger. This is why user generated content is such an effective part of content marketing strategies. When you use it, you tap into sentiments, which humanises your business and its offerings.
Plus, curating user generated content will engage your customers in your marketing process. This will make your marketing ventures more transparent, boosting your brand trust. If your business has a tribe, your customers feel connected to you, and curating their work is a good way to establish reciprocity in that connection.
Start a Content Library
Since user generated content is mostly from social media, content marketing strategies involve the creation of a content library, usually under a specific hashtag. For example, we at Luxeveda use a variety of brand hashtags on our Instagram to curate content. Under #luxeveda, #luxevedabranding and #luxevedasolutions, we encourage users to share relevant content pertaining to the hashtag. This is a good thing to have as part of your social media content marketing strategy, as it is an easy way for you to have a library of user generated content. This also allows your users to see each other’s posts under the hashtag and engage, thus building a vibrant community.
Clearly, user-generated content should be an integral part of your social media content marketing. It allows you to engage and involve your customers, while also enabling you to make your community bigger. Most importantly, it also gives you a repository of real content you can use across channels, making your social media marketing strategy more robust and inclusive.
Conclusion
User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful asset for brands in today’s digital branding. It fosters authenticity, builds trust, and creates a connection between brands and consumers by showcasing real experiences and perspectives. UGC enables brands to leverage the voices of their customers, influencers, and fans, cultivating a community that feels connected and engaged. By integrating UGC into social media marketing strategies, brands can not only increase visibility but also inspire a sense of belonging among their followers.
At Luxeveda, we understand the importance of a well-rounded content marketing approach that includes UGC to amplify brand reach and authenticity. Let us help you harness the power of UGC to drive your brand’s success. Reach out to start enhancing your social media strategy today!
